Integrating land surface conditions and transport networks to quantify the spatial accessibility of cities in China

• Main Authors: Wei Chen, Weidong Liu, Zhigao Liu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2020-01-01
• Series: Journal of Maps
• Subjects: accessibility; travel time; cost distance; spatial structure; china
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2019.1692081

Although there is a need to determine the spatial accessibility of cities in China, the limitations in available data and methods hinder research in this area. The main objective of this study was to quantify the accessibility of cities in China. We developed a comprehensive analytical method to quantify spatial accessibility at a spatial resolution of one kilometer by integrating both land surface conditions and transport networks. The results show that the spatial patterns of accessibility of Chinese cities at the prefecture level and above are characterized by significant spatial heterogeneity, consistent with the patterns in physical geography, population density, and economic activities. The results improve our understanding of deficiencies in the accessibility of cities in China and provide a foundation for transportation infrastructure planning.